Forgetting Gear on Trip to Range

[JSH]

Just this spring, 20VT ammo, 17FB rifle. The rifles are pretty much twins, except one is threaded for a can.
A few years before, 22BR rifle, 223 bolt. I would have been ok if for some reason at the last minute I didn’t bring my 223 along.

 

[6.5 forever]

What frightens me more is forgetting something at the range. I frequented a range where someone forgot a Springfield Armory M1A National Match. I never heard of it being returned. Lesson Learned - Inventory going to and returning from the range.

I opened our range one morning and found an AR sitting on a table, loaded and ready.

 

[6.5 forever]

Not the range, but.... I drove a hour to Preece Precision to have my Lone Peak Fuzion rebarreled. I handed to Garret and he politely asked where the bolt was.

 

[K22]

I somewhat solved this problem many years ago by purchasing a range box and filling it with all the essential basic gear. I did the same for hunting, purchasing a bag.

In addition, I have a checklist posted in the garage with the all the required gear I need for range practice and another checklist for hunting.

However, the problem is remembering to check the lists.

 

[David Milisock]

this happened. i drove out to the range, ready to have some fun, and when i got there realised i had forgotten some essentials. i had my cap-n-balls but no percussion caps. did i feel stupid boyos. thankfully i did find a couple stuck in the seats so it wasn't total bust. has this ever happened to you?

I will say to you exactly what I say to my wife when 1 time in a few months I forget to push my breakfast chair of my studio chair back in place. We are humans, we are not machines.

 

[Krogen]

Reading through this thread makes me grin. I feel much better now! I have good company, lots of good company in my forgetfulness. I have forgotten innumerable things. Fortunately, the people in my club are trustworthy. I have no qualms about leaving stuff I did remember set up while I zoom home to get forgotten items. We have taken to nicknaming some of our crowd after a forgotten item. One guy is "no-bolt" and continues to claim we're gaslighting him. The more he protests, the tighter the name sticks. Another guy forgot the hamburger buns. You guessed it, he's "no-buns." One of our bunch is a well-regarding national champion. Yesterday, he was shooting off his dog blanket. We could call him "no-mat" but that doesn't have a ring to it, and besides it would be disrespectful! Fact is, that any number of us might be named "no-brains." Thankfully that doesn't seem to be a terminal affliction.

LVLAaron suggested checklists. My problem is I need a different checklist for every gun/discipline I'm into on that day. If I carried everything for anything, I'd need a bigger truck. What usually works for me is running through mental dry runs of the shooting activity and making sure all the goodies are included for use. Of course that didn't stop me from forgetting my brass catcher yesterday. I usually shoot a bolt action . . . .

 

[David Milisock]

Being semi-retired has placed me in a position where being a semi sloth has benefits. In my business life I've logged over 1 million miles by car/truck, in my lazy assed semi-retired state I'm down to about 3,000 a year! Yea! My wife has an issue with motion sickness which is easily handled by driving.

My Jeep is just a great storage place for my basic range gear! I only needs the guns I'm going to shoot and ammo, I grab the chronographif I'm working loads. I take a note of inventory when I go to the range and replace inventory when needed.

Equipment replacement is the issue as time passes, it was in the bag but it's now broken, damn!

 

[Will Henry]

It would be much easier to list the times I did not forget something. Regarding the percussion caps, I did exactly that except I drove forty miles to go hunting. I borrowed a 30/30 from my father in law and went hunting anyway. I didn't see a shootable deer, so I might just as well have carried the empty muzzleloader. WH

 

[nbkky71]

My most memorable goof…

I drove 2h 15m to shoot an NRA HP match, taking my M1A. Up at 4am, arrived in plenty of time, registered, squadded and called to the firing line.

Then I realized I left the trigger group at home.

The worst part was I had to stay all day to score and pull pit duty too.

 

[dryhumor]

I had a deer out one morning when I was going to shoot paper. The season was in, and he was just enough for the freezer.

Got far enough pulling the rifle out of the soft case to glance down and see…

No bolt.

Well crap (actual wording cleaned up for public consumption)

 

[hpshooter]

During small bore week at Perry we left a Kimber 82G on a bench behind the ready line. Didn't realize it until later in the evening. Sheepishly, and greatly embarrassed, went to the gate check point and inquired as to if anyone had turned in a cased rifle. After answering a lot of questions to establish that we had responsibility for the rifle the two fellows on duty produced the rifle and said it was found and turned in.

Another time I drove from central VA to Fairfax Rod and Gun Club for a high power match and found out I had left my ammunition at home. A friend had extra ammo and I got enough from him to shoot the match.

 

[DiffEQ]

Chrono, magazines, ammo, tools, stapler, targets, spotting scope, tripod, front rest, rear bag, and bolt.
Over dozens of trips to the range, I have forgotten each of these things at least once.
It's not your memory.

 

[Thud]

Such a mass of DENIAL here.
Admit it We are GETTING OLD

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I had one very recently but not range related but deals with the cars that have the key pods you have to have in your pocket. Jumped in the car with the wife to make a grocery run to a bigger town about 45 minutes away. I dropped her off at the regular grocery store then I was going to run get the pickup order at Walmart and come back and get her, guess who found out the car would lock down when stopped without a key around.

 

[jpjulian]

A friend showed up to the range one day with I think 4 varmint rifles in preparation for a prairie dog shoot. He left the bolts for all the rifles at home. Not a happy camper....

 

[swd]

Lemme see… Bolt, ammo, primers not in ammo, bolt. Scope to mount on rifle at range but had rings that were too low, bolt. Allen wrench’s. Box wrench to tighten scope. Bolt. Magazine, bolt. Now I’m so paranoid about leaving my bolt home about every 3rd or 4th time to the range I stop in the neighborhood on my way out and check for the bolt, lol.

 

[Electric B]

A good friend who I never get to shoot with made a date to shoot.
I showed up without my bolt
Stupid is as Stupid does!!!!

 

[Walt Krafft]

Lady took 6 rifles she got in the divorce to a pawn shop to sell. Her ex had the bolts lol.

 

[wildcat3d]

It would be much easier to list the times I did not forget something. Regarding the percussion caps, I did exactly that except I drove forty miles to go hunting. I borrowed a 30/30 from my father in law and went hunting anyway. I didn't see a shootable deer, so I might just as well have carried the empty muzzleloader. WH

And you would have seen the biggest Buck of your life... ;-)

 

[Old Navy]

Why aren't the bolts in the rifles?